Chapter 24

Yet she had been listening to the lecture attentively all along, without doing anything else.

"The student by the door in the back row, stand up!"

Catching sight of the direction Teacher Zhou was pointing, Shen Danxue realized she was talking about Ye Chunxi, and immediately let out a long sigh of relief.

At the same time, a sense of gloating welled up in her heart.

The other students in the class turned their heads in unison, silently offering their condolences to the transfer student.

Ye Chunxi stood up.

"What are you thinking about instead of listening properly in class?" Teacher Zhou looked Ye Chunxi up and down, realizing she had never seen this student before.

Her appearance was too striking; even a single glance left a deep impression.

She would not have forgotten a student with such a memorable face, so she asked, "Why haven't I seen you before? Did you transfer from another class?"

Shen Danxue hurriedly chimed in to fan the flames, "Teacher, she transferred into our class from another school."

"A transfer student?" Teacher Zhou's gaze toward Ye Chunxi shifted. "Directly into the Elite Class?"

The atmosphere in her class was notoriously oppressive. Getting a question wrong resulted in a scolding at best, and physical punishment if the concept had been explained multiple times.

Even students in the Elite Class had experienced this firsthand.

Upon hearing this, the students in the audience murmured in agreement.

Teacher Zhou frowned, her look of admiration turning into disdain. She pointed at the blackboard and spoke with a stern expression: "Come up and explain this problem to me."

Previously, students had transferred to Hengde, but they always went to regular classes first and worked their way up step by step based on their grades.

This was the first time she had ever seen someone placed directly into the Elite Class upon arrival.

Either she had strong connections, or she was personally scouted by the principal.

The latter possibility was practically zero.

Throughout Jincheng, Hengde was the premier high school. With its reputation as a top-tier national institution, top-performing junior high graduates always listed Hengde as their first choice.

Only then did Ye Chunxi raise her head to look at the blackboard; it was an organic chemistry problem.

After a few seconds of silence, the classmates concluded she wouldn't be able to solve it and began to gloat.

A female student quietly asked the person beside her, "Lingwei, did you figure it out?"

Ren Lingwei looked at her draft paper, which only contained a few starting thoughts, and shook her head. "This problem is a bit difficult. I haven't quite grasped it yet."

"If even you can't solve it, this transfer student has no chance at all. It's just her bad luck to run into Teacher Zhou on her very first class."

On the surface, Ren Lingwei appeared to be pondering the solution, but her thoughts had already drifted to the seat near the back door.

Teacher Zhou stared at Ye Chunxi, her patience gradually wearing thin.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and question how the girl had the nerve to enter the Elite Class, the girl moved.

She walked straight to the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and began writing her solution on the blackboard while Teacher Zhou stood to the side watching.

In less than a minute, Ye Chunxi put down the chalk, brushed off her hands, and walked down from the stage.

Teacher Zhou froze for two seconds, then let out a delighted laugh.

"She actually got it right! It seems you are truly clever, no wonder you were able to enter the Elite Class."

This problem possessed a certain degree of difficulty even for the students in the Elite Class.

She had called upon Ye Chunxi partly because the girl was daydreaming, and partly to test her proficiency—she would have been satisfied if the student could merely offer a general train of thought.

Now, it seemed this student had truly exceeded her expectations.

Ren Lingwei abruptly turned her head, crumpling the draft paper clenched in her hand into wrinkles.

Everyone in the classroom was struck with disbelief upon hearing the result.

Ye Chunxi returned to her seat, propping herself up on her elbows while casually spinning a pen with her other hand.

An air of arrogance radiated from her entire being.

"She actually got it right?"

Hearing the murmur of doubt, Teacher Zhou generously offered an explanation.

"This problem has a very high level of difficulty. One of the core concepts involved is something I haven't gone over with you in detail yet; I was planning to use this problem to expand your knowledge base. I never expected this classmate to solve it the moment she arrived."

The entire classroom fell silent; no one dared to speak.

Although Teacher Zhou was strict, she was notoriously biased and never hesitated to lavish praise on academically outstanding students.

She tapped the blackboard. "Since this classmate has already solved it, we will proceed with her method of resolution."

Shen Danxue glanced at Ye Chunxi, her expression turning ugly.

She had intended to use this opportunity to make Ye Chunxi realize the vast gap between herself and the Elite Class, only for the girl to actually solve the problem.

Her jealousy and resentment toward Ye Chunxi intensified.

Since class was still in session, Shen Danxue dared not dwell on it and hurriedly turned back to the lecture.

As soon as the bell rang, Teacher Zhou summoned Ye Chunxi to her office.

Meanwhile, a heated discussion erupted inside the classroom.

"She managed to solve an extension-level problem? Isn't she a transfer student?"

"How do you even know which school she transferred from?"

"Our Hengde is one of the top five high schools in the entire country. With her level of skill, could she be from the capital?"

"What are you imagining? There are only two top-tier high schools in the capital, and they rank first and second in the country. If she's that capable, why would she come to our Hengde?"

Shen Danxue let out a cold snort. "Even if she is from the capital, she shouldn't be placed straight into the Elite Class upon arrival. Our class isn't a shelter for stray students."

That remark made a lot of sense.

Even among top-tier high schools, there were plenty that fell far short of theirs.

To claim a spot in the Elite Class without any grade records to back it up certainly failed to win anyone's affection.

...

When Teacher Zhou returned to her desk, she looked up and asked, "Which school did you attend previously?"

This question momentarily stumped Ye Chunxi.

Seeing that she remained silent, Teacher Zhou did not press the issue.

"The important thing is that you are now at Hengde. Have you studied the concept we covered in class today ahead of time?"

Ye Chunxi raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

When she first saw that problem, the solution had instantly formed in her mind.

Naturally, Teacher Zhou assumed that her learning pace was faster than that of the Elite Class.

"Given your level, the material I cover in class simply isn't enough for you at the moment." As Teacher Zhou spoke, she rummaged across her desk and pulled out a workbook. "Take this workbook back with you and try working through it. Come find me if you have any questions."

The Elite Class gathered the elite of the entire grade, and the teaching pace was slightly faster than other classes, yet they hadn't finished the entire high school curriculum.

The scope of that workbook covered the knowledge of the entire high school syllabus.

Ye Chunxi frowned slightly, feeling a mild aversion to the extra homework, but she ultimately did not refuse Teacher Zhou's goodwill.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou."

"Keep up the good work." Teacher Zhou patted her shoulder with a smile. "By the next exam, you might just take first place in a single subject."

Upon returning to the classroom, the previously boisterous class lapsed into an eerie silence.

Ye Chunxi swept her gaze across the room; most people wore guilty expressions, clearly having discussed her behind her back after she left.

With an indifferent expression, she returned to her seat.

...

When school let out in the afternoon, everyone in the classroom had gone out to grab dinner.

Ye Chunxi looked down at the workbook, her expression cracking slightly.

Thinking she would pass the time by working through a few problems while bored in class, she hadn't expected to know how to solve every single one of them inside.

She had worked through several sets in succession, only to flip to the answer key and find that every single one was correct.